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Ace Attorney Investigations Collection – Review

The release of Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is a bit of a big deal for fans of Capcom’s long-running series of lawyer simulator games. Not only does it mean that the entire series is now available on modern platforms, but the collection also marks the first official English localization of Ace Attorney Investigations 2. Fans have been begging Capcom to bring the latter game to the West for 13 years, and while fan translations were floating around, being finally able to play a legitimate English language version of the game feels special. Of course, if you’re not familiar with Ace Attorney, you might be wondering what the fuss is about. If there are no objections, dear reader, allow us to present our case. Story The star of the show in Investigations Collection isn’t Phoenix Wright this time around. Instead, the games focus on his opponent in court, the legendary prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. The first game in the collection, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth sees the titular character solve the mystery behind the identity of the legendary thief Yatagarasu. This mystery forms the backbone of the overarching plotline. The story is presented through a series of interconnected murder cases that Edgeworth has to get to the bottom of. This adventure brings back familiar faces like bumbling detective Dick Gumshoe and rival prosecutor Franziska von Karma, alongside new characters like teenage thief Kay Faraday. It’s a story that is perhaps a bit too saturated with cameo appearances and easter eggs for long-running fans of the series, and it’s definitely not the greatest entry point for newcomers. The piece de resistance of Investigations Collection is Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit, however. Set one week after the events in the first Investigations game, Edgeworth must face his greatest challenge yet: Judge Verity Gavèlle, who is running a prosecutor purge. Her aim is to get rid of “weaker” prosecutors. But does she have an ulterior motive? Graphics Like previous re-releases of the Ace Attorney games, the visuals for Investigations Collection have received a glow-up. Character portraits and environments have been redrawn in high resolution. A particularly nice touch is that you can still play the game with the original sprite designs if you want. Of course, these being upscaled Nintendo DS games, it is understandable that the animations are simplistic, which adds to the game’s overall charm. Sound Just like with the visuals, Investigations Collection’s audio has received a makeover, with rearranged versions of the original tracks as well as those same originals to listen to. Music has always been a strong suit of the series, and hearing a fresh, crisp take on the OST is a joy. There is very limited voice acting here: voice clips for the iconic “Hold it!” “Objection!” and similar lines for key characters are present but these are seemingly reused from previous releases. Gameplay What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Ace Attorney’s gameplay? Chances are it’s the courtroom segments. You won’t find those here though: While the Investigations games share a lot of gameplay DNA with the other games in the series, you’ll be solving murders directly at the scene of the crime instead. This is still unmistakably a pair of Ace Attorney games and you’ll still be pressing witnesses, presenting evidence, and yelling “Objection!” at the top of your lungs. Each Investigations game presents a series of five interconnected cases where you take control of Edgeworth and his friends as you try to solve bizarre, logic-defying murders. Edgeworth has a mind palace of sorts, similar to Sherlock Holmes, and you can connect pieces of logic there. This mechanic is reminiscent of similar ones seen in other Ace Attorney games, like Athena Cykes’ Mood Matrix or Phoenix Wright’s Psyche Lock. It’s a minor addition to a set of mechanics that you’re already familiar with if you’ve played the other games, and the majority of Investigations Collection should feel like familiar ground. Unfortunately, this also means that Investigations Collection is subject to the same pitfall that plagues the other Ace Attorney games, and that is that you’ll have to follow the game’s internal logic to a tee. Sometimes, a piece of evidence can be presented against multiple different statements from the same witness, but the game expects you to pick the exact right one. Other times, multiple pieces of evidence could undermine a statement, but only one will be the right one to make the story progress. There is a penalty system in place, so you can’t go around guessing haphazardly -or at least not without save scumming. It’s a minor gripe that has plagued the series since the beginning, and that has become less egregious in more recent games. A disclaimer explains that Investigations Collection aims to stay as true to the original releases as possible, so while the obtuse in-game logic is still a weak point, we can at least blame it on the games’ age here. As if it wasn’t enough that we’re finally getting a localized version of Prosecutor’s Gambit, we’re also being treated to a wealth of additional content. This doesn’t come as a complete surprise, given that the Apollo Justice Trilogy received the same treatment, but it’s still nice to see. There are art galleries and a jukebox that lets you listen to your favorite tunes from both games. Make no mistake: this is a sizable collection that is well worth the €39.99 RRP, even if these are “just” remasters of two DS games. Still, if you feel like Edgeworth’s adventures are a bit too rich for your blood, then you’ll probably be able to pick these up with a hefty discount sooner rather than later, if the previous Ace Attorney collections are any indication. Conclusion Let’s not beat around the bush: Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is a game for existing fans of the series. If you’re already familiar with the world, the characters, and the core gameplay, you already know what to expect, and the collection is likely already on your radar. For anyone new to the series, this isn’t a good entry point. Fortunately, the games that are a good entry point are readily available. If you’re already a fan, then adding this new collection to your library is a no-brainer, although otherwise, you should absolutely play Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy first.